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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23102599">Leaving Those Concrete Walls For Open Air</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdegg/pseuds/Birdegg'>Birdegg</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Children, adora and catra are still friends, and it's babysitting time, bow and glimmer are older than catra and adora</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:55:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,035</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23102599</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdegg/pseuds/Birdegg</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Catra and Adora run from the hoard much younger than in cannon. Bow and glimmer are forced to babysit two in training murderers, and things only get more complicated from there.</p><p>Angella never signed up for this.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Leaving Those Concrete Walls For Open Air</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So basically in this one, Bow and Glimmer are the same ages they were in cannon, but Catra and Adora are, like, 10 tops. They're tiny little gremlins.<br/>I am destroyed by cannon every season, so I decided to make something hopeful and fluffy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>A ball of crumpled paper smacks against the back of her head, before rolling anticlimactically beside her feet. Adora turns, glaring at her attacker and best friend, Catra. She’s licking her fingers with glee, taking the remainder of some type of sweet thing with a look of satisfaction. Adora grumbles and picks the black wrapper up, shoving it roughly into her pant pockets.</p><p>“No littering on horde property.” She scolds lightly, before realizing they’re not <em>on</em> Horde property. Catra smirks and cackles, bouncing down from the waiting room window to the floor with practiced ease. Her tail curls around her leg.</p><p>“Nice try, <em>Adora</em>, but you don’t have grounds to boss me around anymore. We’re in a whole new world, and frankly, of the two of us, I’ve always been more flexible.” she demonstrates as she speaks, slithering quickly around Adora and using her elbows to jump to the bookcase, which barely wobbles upon her landing.</p><p>Adora quirks her eyebrows, unable to hide a smile “Sure, I’m definitely the unadjusted one here, Miss. sitting-on-a-bookshelf.” Catra laughs, swinging her feet down and landing back on the cold tiles of the waiting room. Adora glances at her own bare feet, begrudgingly shuffling them. Their escape from the Horde had not been very well coordinated, and they were bound to make a bad impression on the Rebellion soldiers, dressed in rags, skinny and without shoes.</p><p>She had to hope that running from the Horde was abandoning the greater of two evils. She had no choice really, with what they were going to do to Catra, but who knew if the princesses would give them any mercy, or slaughter them easily for all her troubles. She startled when a black clawed hand landed on her shoulder, flinching. Catra smiled at her, sharp teeth glinting in the blue light of the rebellion crystals.</p><p>“Whatever you’re worrying about, stop it. You’re not doing anything useful; in fact I’m pretty sure you’re just giving yourself indigestion.” Catra flicked her nose happily and continued “Besides, those Rebellion soldiers you met said you’d be welcome here right?’ Adora sighed, dropping her head against Catra’s bony shoulder.</p><p>“Who knows how high up command they were though, I doubt they had clearance to make any promises to a rouge Horde trainee.” Catra let out a hesitant purr, trying to calm Adora down.</p><p>“Whatever worry-wart. These are our last moments, so what? They left a bowl of theses amazing fucking candy things, what a way to go.” Adora laughs despite herself, digging her jaw into Catra as her friend jumped away with a fake hiss.</p><p>“Hey I was tryna help you, keep that fucking thing away-”                    </p><p>“Girls.” Both of the ex-Hord trainees turned around quickly, hackles literally and metaphorically up. A tall woman stood before them, gorgeous crystal wings tucked neatly behind herself. Her pink and purple hair floated gently in a wind that wasn’t blowing, and she was adorned with white Gems that reminded Adora of Catra’s fangs. Her face, however beautiful, was not as serene as the rest of her. Chilling, in fact, was a more apt term. Her amethyst eyes dug into Adora’s skin, infusing her with cold. She felt Catra start to move in front of her and quickly grabbed her friends arm, pulling her to her side.</p><p>Having missed half the classes Adora had been to, Catra had no way of knowing who that was, or why she shouldn’t piss her off. Adora bowed, tight grip forcing Catra to do so as well.</p><p>“Your Majesty.” She let out, wanting to slap herself when her voice shook. In her hand, Catra’s arm went still.</p><p>“Rise.” The Queen commanded, voice deceivingly soft, but not pleasant. The tense moment was cut by an unexpected intruder bursting through the door.</p><p>“MOM! Your scaring them, I told you she would scare them Bow!” Everyone in the room was drawn to the new arrival, a shorter buff woman with fluffy sparkling hair and a blue cape. Her yellowish face was flushed red with either embarrassment or annoyance, wide eyes narrowed in blame. The Queen tsked.</p><p>The “random” rebel soldier she had met on her scouting mission 225 quadrants ago was not only a princess, but <em>the</em> princess. Adora’s eyes widened with recognition. ‘Bow” in the meantime, mumbled something Adora couldn’t hear from behind the princess, looking out of breath and depth.</p><p>“They’re Horde soldiers, Glimmer, I shouldn’t have to worry about ‘scaring’ them.” Queen Angella let out between clenched teeth, wings rising. From behind her, Catra and Adora glanced at each other in confusion. Even the heir to the throne shouldn’t be allowed to speak to their sovereign or master like that. Despite Shadow-Weavers allowances for Adora, she would have never let her get away with such a petulant tone.</p><p>“They’re <em>children</em>, <em>mother.</em>” hissed Glimmer, eyes furious and filled with a fire so opposite to her mother’s frost. Sensing that the situation was only going to become worse without intervention, Adora stepped away from Catra.</p><p>“Your Majesty, my comrade and I are not fully trained soldiers, but trainees. We come to the rebellion humbly asking for your mercy, as our own people have betrayed us-“ dropping the formal etiquette she looked the Queen directly in her eyes, features honest “-and…and we have nowhere else to go.” her voice, alarmingly quiet and filled with subtle emotion, echoed in the silent room. Queen Angella let out a long, drawn out sigh.</p><p>“You pledge for them, Glimmer?” Glimmer nodded, looking determined. Her royal highness rubbed her temples, looking far more weary than frightening.</p><p>“Fine. You may keep them with you and Bow until I have time to interview them in more depth” she paused here, fixing her daughter with a stern glare “Do <em>not </em>let them out of your sight<em>.</em>” Glimmer nodded, and behind her, the archer nodded as well, looking very overwhelmed at his sudden guardianhood. With those parting words the Queen of the Rebellion swept out of the room.</p><p>“Well” grinned Catra “now that that’s all sorted out, can any of you point me too the next bowl of these things? Cause I ate all these ones.” Bow laughed nervously.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh this is not going to work out.”</p>
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